| Each year more than 15,000 people are seriously burned when their clothes catch on fire. In more than half of the incidents, flammable liquids or vapors were present on or around the person's clothing. But it can happen in many ways. A person's loose sleeve may catch fire on a hot stove. Someone may be working with gasoline or some other flammable liquid and then light a cigarette. They might spray lighter fluid on a smoldering barbecue fire and the resulting flames could catch their clothes on fire.
When your clothing catches on fire, action must be instinctive and immediate.
You must STOP, DROP and ROLL! The one thing you should never do is run.
The principles of STOP, DROP and ROLL are simple:
Stop, do not run, if your clothes catch on fire.
Drop to the floor in a prone position.
Cover your face with your hands to protect it from the flames.
Roll over and over to smother the fire. Don't stop until the flames have been extinguished.
If you are near someone whose clothing catches on fire, be sure to stop them from running and make them STOP, DROP and ROLL.
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